It is desirable to provide enclosures for various type of equipment, particularly electrical and electronic equipment. Many pieces of electronic equipment and electronic components may be mounted in a housing to protect the equipment or components from undesirable environmental effects such as dust and moisture and to prevent inadvertent tampering. An enclosure can also provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance for the electronic equipment.
In the past, electronic components and equipment were housed in a box or cabinet that protected the components and obscured them from view. Cabinets were often constructed of metal and held together with screws or similar fasteners with removable panels to provide access for maintenance and service. As with other items of manufacture, metal enclosures are being replaced with plastic enclosures which are lighter in weight and easier to fabricate. Typically, an enclosure for electronic equipment consists of molded plastic parts which are held together with self-tapping screws that can be removed to disassemble the housing for access to the components therein. While an effective enclosure can be provided in this manner, using screws to fasten the housing portions together increases the assembly time of the housing and also increases the time required to gain access to the components for servicing.
Molded plastic electrical equipment enclosures are also manufactured so that the molded sections are hingedly connected together and are fastened with molded plastic or metal latches. Enclosures constructed with the hinged sections and latches are easy to manufacture and provide easy access to the electrical components, but the hinges and latches are located on the exterior of the enclosure and sometimes present an unsightly appearance. Accordingly, it will be understood that it would be highly desirable to provide an electrical equipment enclosure which has concealed fasteners and presents a neat, clean, uncluttered appearance.